The Dramatic Crown Princess Wants to Poison Me!

Chapter 255: Chapter 255: Huang Anshun

Little Black Head solemnly said, ”I, Little Black Head, will remember that!”

The child’s mature demeanor made Huangfu Jingchen smile despite his heavy mood. He gently patted Little Black Head’s head and warmly asked, ”Are you just called Little Black Head? What’s your surname?”

Little Black Head looked puzzled but quickly brightened up and said, ”Sir, my surname is Huang. I don’t have a name; could you give me one?”

Giving a name is usually a task no one else should handle, but Huangfu Jingchen heard people talking around him and knew Little Black Head was an orphan, without parents, siblings, or any other relatives. When he saw the hopeful look in the child’s eyes, he could not refuse.

Perhaps giving him a name would be a good thing. Once a person has a formal name, they gain dignity.

A little beggar is also human, and Little Black Head seemed clever and might change his life when he grows up.

If it were before, he might have chosen a poetic and artistic name full of elegance, but his experience in Wangshan Town impacted him greatly.

After pondering briefly, he said, ”The greatest happiness in life is nothing more than peace and smoothness in all matters. If you are willing, you can be called Huang Anshun!”

”Huang Anshun, Huang Anshun!” Little Black Head repeated twice, delighted, and then knelt before Huangfu Jingchen, saying, ”Huang Anshun thanks the gentleman for giving me a name! Thanks for the meal!” With that, he kowtowed several times.

Huangfu Jingchen pulled him up and said, ”Don’t kneel; ten taels of silver is nothing, and giving you a name is nothing. Don’t kneel for such small things; remember, a man’s knees are worth gold!”

Huang Anshun nodded vigorously.

Huangfu Jingchen nodded and smiled at Huang Anshun, preparing to leave.

He couldn’t wait here any longer.

While chatting idly with Wenjin before, Wenjin mentioned that no place is better informed than teahouses and brothels.

He didn’t want to go to a brothel, so he decided to check the teahouse.

Just as he was about to leave, a voice, charming with a hint of gentleness, called, ”Big brother!”

Huangfu Jingchen turned around to see the woman in green with a red flower in her hair swaying her hips as she approached him.

Someone whispered, ”It’s Miss Mo. Why did she come into town?”

”Since Miss Mo’s husband died, she hasn’t entered the city gates for four years. They say her flowers rot and no one wants them, yet she plants them monthly!”

”This woman is indeed peculiar. Mr. Qian’s youngest son thought she was beautiful and sneaked into her house at midnight to steal her charms. It was horrifying; she cut off his little bird and threw him out.”

”Are you talking about Landlord Qian from East City?”

”Who else in East City but Landlord Qian?”

”When did this happen? Landlord Qian is wealthy and influential; even the county magistrate is often his guest. How could he let a widow get away after harming his son?”

”You have no idea, do you? Do you know why you haven’t heard of this? Landlord Qian suppressed the story himself. He not only refrained from troubling Miss Mo but forbade anyone from speaking about it. In my view, perhaps it wasn’t Miss Mo who took action!”

”Why do you say that?”

”Landlord Qian’s youngest son had practiced martial arts in the martial arts center for three years. Whenever he fancied someone, he bullied many young girls and wives. If anyone tried to challenge him, they’d end up beaten. With the Qian family’s ties to the magistrate, complaints were futile. This time, though, he hit a hard wall.” ℯℯ𝑙.

”Yes, yes, yes, I’ve heard that too. You say Miss Mo, a mere woman, who usually tends flowers and grasses, could emasculate a young man? Perhaps Miss Mo’s ghostly husband returned. Thus, people say she’s truly wicked!”

”If it were just Miss Mo, would Mr. Qian let her go? Even Mr. Qian doesn’t dare to pursue the matter. Consider this; it clearly isn’t simple!”

...

Everyone’s whispers reached Huangfu Jingchen’s ears, but he didn’t care because it was irrelevant to him.

Miss Mo walked with enticing sways like a lotus in the wind, attracting countless men’s gazes. However, due to the incident with Landlord Qian’s son, while they might be tempted, they dared not act.

Miss Mo came straight towards Huangfu Jingchen.

As this unfolded, more whispers began, ”Is Miss Mo interested in this handsome young man? Could it be that after years of widowhood, she’s smitten by this good-looking gentleman?”

”Women love beauty. This young man is genuinely handsome. I wonder how his parents created such a figure; everything about him is perfect!”

”Miss Mo is so strange; this young gentleman might be in trouble!”

”Such a shame if, at his age, Miss Mo’s ghostly husband neuters him too!”

”This young man must be from elsewhere. Should we warn him?”

”Warn him of what? Do you dare to warn him? If you ruin Miss Mo’s plans, what if her ghostly husband visits you at night?”

”Just hearing this has me uneasy. I’ll keep my distance!”

...

The whispering never ceased as Miss Mo approached Huangfu Jingchen; their voices were hushed, thinking they were whispering privately while keeping their eyes on her. But Miss Mo seemed not to hear, giving them peace of mind to gossip freely.

Soon, Miss Mo reached Huangfu Jingchen and called again, ”Big brother!”

Huangfu Jingchen politely said, ”Boss Mo, do you need something?”

”How do you know my surname is Mo?” Miss Mo lightly laughed, like flowers trembling in the wind, her tone charming and gentle. She covered her mouth, smiled, and pointed to the quiet crowd who stopped talking as she approached. ”It must be through their words, right? After four years without coming to the city, I see I haven’t been forgotten!”

She laughed lightly and casually, but the crowd didn’t dare meet her gaze, though they couldn’t resist sneaking glances.

After asking that, she immediately returned to business. She extended her hand, showing one tael of silver in her white palm.

Miss Mo looked at Huangfu Jingchen and said, ”I, Miss Mo, do business, perhaps shady, but with clear prices, fair to young and old alike! We agreed on ninety-nine flowers for ninety-nine taels of silver. You gave me a hundred taels, so I must return one tael to you. For this single tael, I broke my four-year vow not to enter the city. Big brother, how precious this silver is!”

The crowd, hearing this, looked at Huangfu Jingchen with peculiar expressions.

Ninety-nine taels of silver for ninety-nine flowers? Isn’t he a fool?

Where on earth are flowers so expensive? Even the national flower, Heavenly Eye Lotus, wouldn’t cost this much! Moreover, those flowers, they remembered clearly, were given away along the road with not a single one left!

Truly a fool with money to spare!